1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to container systems for mixing and storing fluids.
2. The Relevant Technology
The mixing and/or suspension of solutions is ubiquitous in many technologies. For example, biotech companies use extensive amounts of culture media, buffers, and reagents. Such materials originally come in powdered form and must be hydrated with purified water prior to use. The hydration process typically comprises combining a precise amount of powdered material and purified water in a closed stainless steel tank. A special mixer is then used to mix the components into the desired solution. Liquid supplements can be added before or after the initial mixing. Once the solution is prepared, the solution is filtered and may be directly used or dispensed and sealed into sterile containers for shipment or storage.
To be safe and effective for their intended use, solutions of culture media, buffers, and reagents must be pure and sterile. Accordingly, between the production of different batches of solutions, the mixing tank, mixer, and all other reusable components that contact the solution must be carefully cleaned to avoid any cross contamination. The cleaning of the structural components is labor intensive, time consuming, and costly. For example, depending on the structural component and the solution being produced, cleaning can require the use of chemical cleaners such as sodium hydroxide and may require steam sterilization as well.
In another example, the production of vaccines or the culturing of cells typically requires that such solutions be continually mixed so that the components thereof remain uniformly dispersed as a homogeneous solution. Again, however, although steel tanks and mixers can be used to maintain such suspension and dispersion, conventional systems require that the tanks and mixers be carefully cleaned between batches to avoid any cross contamination.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art are container systems which minimize the time, cost, and labor associated with cleaning and sterilizing conventional systems while enabling mixing and/or suspension of solutions.